1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to the conveying and classifying of particulate substances.
More particularly, the invention relates to a method of, and an apparatus for, conveying and classifying particulate solids.
2. The Prior Art
In many fluidized-bed processes it is necessary to remove heavier and/or larger particles from a mix containing such particles together with lighter and/or smaller particles. Such processes include, inter alia, the contacting of solid particles with catalysts, aromatics or thermal-energy carriers, the roasting, carbonizing or gasifying of particulate materials, and the separation of pyrites and rock from ground coal. They also include the separation of sintered mineral-ash residue from the fluidized bed of a gasifying reactor and the separation of larger and/or heavier agglomerates (which develop during the course of a process) from a fluidized bed or a moving non-fluidized bed.
A fluidized-bed reactor has been proposed for this purpose in German Published Application OS No. 2,203,544. However, for a variety of reasons it is desirable to provide further improvements.